Saturday. May 25th, 2002
LSMSA Board Room, HSB
Attendees: Alumni - Adele Babin, Cindy Billiot, Kristy Boxberger, John Cole, Hiedi Gomez, Jim Taylor, Janet Turner
Guests - Dr. Bill Ebarb, Dr. Pat Widhalm
Prior minutes were waived by consent
Finances:
1) The Alumni Association (“AA”) spent $676 on the reception, as well as $180 on
printing costs for the brochure distributed at graduation. $75.67 was reimbursed to Cindy Billiot
for costs she incurred purchasing materials for the AA.
2) No item
New business:
1) Discussion began regarding what exactly our members get for their dues. Proposals
for membership benefits included Praecellemus, Folio, and Renaissance publications, as well as
copies of Senior videos, old yearbooks, and windbreaker/jackets. The published and video
material are readily available from the media center, and would require a moderate amount of
technical experience and labor to extract. Dr. Widhalm indicated that some work service might
be available to students wishing to help the AA with this marketing.
A Lifetime Membership package was proposed, which would include graduation
and/or senior video, alumni pin, 1-yr subscriptions to some or all of the publications, and a
recognition plaque. Those who have already paid in full would receive these packages
retroactively. Action on these items was approved, and the president was charged with
exploring the financial and technical details of the above suggestions, with the assistance of the
Natchitoches Liaison (“NL”).
The discussion then moved to what the AA is already providing, including seed
money for class reunions, catering the Alumni reception, maintaining the AA website and e-mail
list, and sponsoring Alumni speakers for LSMSA functions. In addition, the AA is responsible
for certain housekeeping costs, such as supplies and postage. While not individually
overwhelming, as a whole, these functions require a small-to-moderate amount of continual
funding. As in the first paragraph, emphasis was placed on securing non-dues sources of
revenue.
2) Dues status. In summation, our data is incomplete. We will work with any member
who wishes to verify the accuracy of his or her account. We will send dues cards out in early
September with the best information we have, and will trust our members to correct any
mistakes we may have made. We cannot recreate data, nor was it thought that we should try. It
was agreed that it was imperative to start from some point and resume mail
reminders, which is how most members (and non-members) pay dues. The problem with receiving and sorting the
dues was addressed, and will certainly be resolved with our rental of a permanent P.O. Box, as
opposed to having mail sent to the school address. Previously, mail was sent to LSMSA, and
was not always distributed to the NL, especially if the envelope was not directed to the AA. The
letters then changed hands several times, and some members never had their checks cashed.
Those members were informed that they would be credited for that year, and that those checks
would not be redeemed if found, but destroyed. A dedicated P.O. Box will allow the NL to
retrieve mail from one site and forward it on a scheduled basis to the Treasurer. We will also
institute a procedure in which we copy every check received before deposit. This is standard
procedure at the LSU Alumni Association, and alleviates many of the problems we've previously
encountered.
3) Postage. We discussed with Dr. Ebarb the possibility of having an AA-specific code
put on the school postage meter, which would allow us to mass-mail more easily. Since the
school is a state institution, certain rules apply regarding access to this meter, but Dr. Ebarb
indicated that we could address those issues with written policy.
4) Public Relations. The request from the school administration is “let us know who you
know.” In other words, we would like to build a contact list of state legislators and other public
officials for reference in certain legislative issues. Our funding and status in the current
administration is quite safe, but nothing is permanent. The school would like to avoid
“freelancing” on the part of its alumni and friends - the results are often contrary to what was
originally intended. Discussion progressed to compiling profiles of Alumni, particularly those
still in Louisiana, for educating lawmakers on what the school is producing for our state. We
will revisit this as the next fiscal session approaches.
5) Connections. This program is run by Martha K, and involves Alumni returning to the
school to mentor and network with current students. The AA will work closely with Martha K
for the next event coming in November. Any alums wishing to participate are strongly
encouraged to contact the AA.
6) Membership Development. Adele Babin has volunteered to assist the president with
membership tracking and support issues. Following the advice of Dr. Ebarb, the AA will
establish an official position for Membership Development Coordinator, which, at this time, is a
position appointed by the president. If the membership wishes to include this person as an
elected officer or would like to include this job title/description in the By-Laws, the AA will act
on those wishes. For now, we just need the help.
7) LSMSA Foundation. Under the reorganization of the Foundation Board, the AA will
have two voting members on that board. One will be the AA president ex-officio, and the other
will be appointed by the president with approval from the Executive Committee, with terms to
serve concurrently. This protocol is not yet imbedded within the by-laws, and will be put forth
as a proposal in the Fall. The at-large member will be Christopher Perdue, class of 1995. Once
the board is re-established and terms are set, we will modify the office particulars as necessary
and put them into a resolution. The first meeting of the new Board will take place Sept. 9, 2002.